James Bond (Daniel Craig) has just been granted his title as a double-0 agent, and his first mission is to travel to a poker tournament in Montenegro so he can corner a shifty banker named Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) and force him to spill information about his shady financial dealings.

James Bond's time in Montenegro doesn't go as smoothly as anticipated, and the tournament itself incites a brutal staircase fight, a poisoning and a love affair with a treasurer (Eva Green). Bond must make a few difficult choices, and as a new agent, they aren't always the right ones.

When it was announced that Daniel Craig was stepping in for Pierce Brosnan as the new 007, many fans and critics complained that it was the wrong decision. In reality, Craig's casting was a fitting way to mark a drastic new direction for the classic film series. While Casino Royale still carries the Bond spirit, it finally tells his story from the beginning without subjecting audiences to the rehashed villains and clichéd story lines that were showing their age during the Brosnan era.

Casino Royale and Daniel Craig both got high marks as the film appeared on nearly 15 top 10 lists for the year. Rotten Tomatoes named it the highest-rated film of 2006. Audiences came out in bunches to the sum of $593 million globally and even former Bond, Roger Moore insisted that he would be purchasing the DVD himself. Director Martin Campbell also directed 1995's GoldenEye, but he outdoes himself here.

Through 20 previous Bond films, guys rarely gained any insight into who 007 actually was. Casino Royale fills in the blanks and sets the wheels in motion for a brand new series of films. James Bond runs the full gamut of emotions, making him more human than ever and allowing guys to identify with him.

James Bond's emotional arc doesn't come at the expense of the trademark action set pieces and gorgeous women. Bond's construction site chase of a bomb maker is galvanizing and an airport bomb diffusion is tense and exciting. There's a distinct effort to avoid CGI effects, making the practical stunt work a welcome change of pace. French beauty Eva Green shines as Vesper Lynd, showing us why even a ruthless agent could love her.

Casino Royale is a bold step toward a newer, edgier James Bond. It's smart, confident and fearless -- like the man himself.